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I have sinned" you will understand wisely, if you take it to mean things done in ignorance, things done in childhood. And let this be for an example: he who is on the hundredth step, there being one hundred steps, if he should descend three, would be said to be lacking, while the one starting from the first and coming to the third is not blamed. He, therefore, who has descended the one hundred, even if he did not depart from the steps, is nevertheless in some filth. But Job says that even if I am clean, I have filth, and not a little filth, but like a dye. Perhaps, then, since it is possible to come into this life not only on account of sins, but also for the benefit of others, such as John, for instance, or Jeremiah, for this reason he says that even if I am clean on account of my deeds, yet I have filth. For the earthly place is filth in relation to the pure life, not in itself; wherefore it is also said: "all our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth before you, Lord." Which the Lord washes away according to what is said in Isaiah: "the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion and will cleanse the blood from their midst." Filth, then, 262 would be the involuntary acts, and blood the acts done by intention. And by what is it washed away but "by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning," the spirit of judgment indicating discernment, and the spirit of burning, punishment? And both work correction. And for this reason also "my garment," he says, "has abhorred me," alluding to the burden of the sojourn here; which is also indicated by "hating even the tunic defiled by the flesh," which is the confusion from human affairs. He says, therefore, that the human way of life which I had has hated me. But that the garment signifies the state is clear from what was said to the prodigal son by his father: "Bring out for him the first robe." But that blood signifies sin is evident from what was said to the devil: "just as a garment stained in blood will not be clean, so neither shall you be clean." Through being stained in blood the magnitude of the evil is shown. But one must not be surprised if the blessed one says some things to his friends, and other things to God. For then it would have been a contradiction, if speaking to the same one he said he was both righteous and a sinner. With humility, therefore, towards God and in relation to his purity he says he is dyed 263 in filth, but to men he speaks differently, saying: "I know that I shall appear righteous." That the saints use such a form of words, it is possible to learn also from the letters of Paul who says: σεπτεμ λινεαε ῃαξαντ Therefore, enduring many things in soul from the opposing power, the saints suffer as being of human nature, but they do not fall away from the divine purpose. And David, indeed, being in such a war, sings: "I was troubled and I did not speak;" and again: "Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why do you trouble me?" And as if to his own wavering mind he brings comfort, saying: "Hope in God, for I will give thanks to him." Thus also the blessed Job with good sense says the things set forth before God, revealing the guilelessness of his own mind. For you are not a man like me, with whom I may be judged. The discourse follows, being smoothed out thus: I for my part know my own affairs. 264 But since my friends, not being moved by right reasoning, but from the grievous circumstances surrounding me think that I have suffered because of sins, I am content with your testing. Then on their account, in a way instructing them again, that his affairs are not human, he says: "you are not a man like me, with whom I may be judged," as one who knows all his things and for this reason endures, because he follows God's judgment, so that his friends too might imitate him, reasoning that the account concerning him is ineffable, and thus they might abandon their single opinion. That we may come with one accord to judgment. As was said before, he instructs his friends to perceive that he has a conscience full of confidence and ready for judgment; for the one

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ἥμαρτον" συνετῶς νοήσεις, ἐὰν τὰ κατ' ἄγνοιαν, τὰ κατὰ τὴν παιδικὴν ἡλικίαν ἐκλάβοις. καὶ ἔστω ἐπὶ παραδείγματος· ὁ ἑκατὸν βαθμῶν ὄντων εἰς τὸν ἑκατοστὸν ὑπάρχων, εἰ ὑποβαίη τρεῖς, λέγοιτ' ἂν ἐνδεῖν, τοῦ ἀρχομένου ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου καὶ ἐλθόντος εἰς τὸν τρίτον μὴ ψεγομένου. ὁ ὑποβὰς οὖν τοὺς ἑκατόν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀπέστη τῶν βαθμῶν, ἀλλὰ γοῦν ἔν τινί ἐστιν ῥύπῳ. πλὴν ὁ Ἰώβ φησιν, ὅτι εἰ καὶ καθαρός εἰμι, ἔχω ῥύπον, καὶ οὐ μικρόν γε ῥύπον, ἀλλὰ βαφῇ ἐοικότα. μήποτ' οὖν, ἐπεὶ οὐ μόνον δι' ἁμαρτίας ἔστιν ἐλθεῖν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ὠφέλειαν ἄλλων, ὡς Ἰωάννην φέρε ἢ Ἰερειμίαν, διὰ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι εἰ κα»ὶ» καθαρός εἰμι διὰ πράξεων, ὅμως ἔχω ῥύπον. ῥύπος γὰρ ὡς πρὸς τὴν καθαρὰν ζωήν, οὐ καθ' αὑτό, ὁ τόπος ὁ ἐπίγειος· καθὸ καὶ εἴρηται· "ὡς ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης πᾶσα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῶν ἐναντίον σοῦ, κύριε." ὅνπερ ἐκπλύνει κύριος κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ λεγόμενον· "ἐκπλυνεῖ κύριος τὸν ῥύπον τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων Σίων καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐκκαθαριεῖ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν." ῥύπος μὲν οὖν 262 εἴη ἂν τὰ ἀκούσια, αἷμα δὲ «τὰ» κατὰ πρόθεσιν ἐνεργούμενα. τίνι δὲ ἐκπλύνεται ἢ "πνεύματι κρίσεως καὶ πνεύματι καύσεως", τοῦ μὲν πνεύματος τῆς κρίσεως τὴν διάκρισιν δηλοῦντος, τοῦ δὲ πνεύματος τῆς καύσεως τὴν κόλασιν; ἀμφότερα δὲ διόρθωσιν ἐργάζεται. διὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ "ἐβδελύξατό", φησίν, "με ἡ στολή μου", αἰνιττόμενος τὸ βάρος τῆς ἐνταῦθα διατριβῆς· ὅπερ δηλοῦται καὶ διὰ τοῦ "μισοῦντες καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐσπιλωμένον χιτῶνα," ὅστις ἐστὶν ἡ των ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σύνχυσις. λέγει οὖν, ὅτι ἐμίσησέν με ἣν εἶχον διαγωγὴν ἀνθρωπίνην. ὅτι δὲ ἡ στολὴ τὴν κατάστασιν σημαίνει, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ εἰρημένου πρὸς τὸν ἄσωτον ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός· "ἐξενέγκατε αὐτ̣ῷ τὴν πρώτην στολήν." ὅτι δὲ τὸ αἷμα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δηλοῖ, φανερὸν ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν διάβολον εἰρημένου· "ὃν τρόπον ἱμάτιον ἐν αἵματι πεφυρμένον οὐκ ἔσται καθαρόν, οὕτως οὐδὲ σὺ ἔσῃ καθαρός." διὰ τοῦ ἐν αἵματι πεφύρθαι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς κακίας ἐμφαίνεται. οὐ χρὴ δὲ ξενίζεσθαι, εἰ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς φίλους ἕτερα, πρὸς δὲ τὸν θεὸν ἕτερα λέγει ὁ μακάριος. τότε γὰρ ἐναντίωμα ἐτύγχανεν, εἰ πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν λέγων καὶ δίκαιον ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἔφασκεν. μετριότητι οὖν πρὸς θεὸν καὶ ὡς πρὸς τὴν ε αὐτοῦ καθαρότητα λέγει βεβάφθαι 263 ἐν ῥύπῳ, πρὸς δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἑτέρως διαλέγεται φάσκων· "ο_6_ἶ6δα ὅτι δίκαιος ἀναφανοῦμαι." ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι χρῶνται τοιούτῳ εἴδει λόγων, ἔστιν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν Παύλου γραμμάτων μαθεῖν λέγοντος· σεπτεμ λινεαε ῃαξαντ πολλὰ οὖν ὑπομένοντες οἱ ἅγιοι κατὰ ψυχὴν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως πάσχουσιν μὲν ὡς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τυγχάνοντες, οὐ μὴν ἐκπίπτουσι τοῦ σκοποῦ τοῦ θείου. καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ γοῦν ἐν τοιούτῳ γενάμενος πολέμῳ ψάλλει· "ἐταράχθην καὶ οὐκ ἐλάλησα·" καὶ πάλιν· "ἵνα τί περίλυπος εἶ, ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἵνα τί συνταράσσεις με;" καὶ καθάπερ κλονουμένῃ τῇ ἰδίᾳ διανοίᾳ προσάγει παράκλησιν λέγων· "ἔλπισον ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ." οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ εὐγνωμοσύνῃ λέγει τὰ προσεκτεθέντα τῷ θεῷ φανερῶν ἑαυτοῦ τῆς διανοίας τὸ ἄδολον. οὐ γὰρ εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ' ἐμέ, ᾧ ἀντι κρινοῦμαι. ἀκόλουθος ὁ λόγος οὕτως ἐξομαλιζόμενος· ἐγὼ μὲν ἐπίσταμαι τὰ κατ' ἐμαυτόν. 264 ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἱ φίλοι οὐ λογισμῷ ὀρθῷ κινούμενοι, ἐκ δὲ τῶν περιεστηκότων θλιβηρῶν οἴονται δι' ἁμαρτίας με πεπονθέναι, ἀρκοῦμαι τῇ σῇ δοκιμασίᾳ. εἶτα δι' αὐτούς, τρόπον τινὰ παιδεύων πάλιν αὐτούς, ὅτι τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπινα, φησίν· "οὐκ εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ' ἐμέ, ᾧ ἀντικρινοῦμαι", ὡς πάντα αὐτοῦ ἐπισταμένου καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φέροντος, ὅτι θεοῦ κρίματι ἕπεται, ὅπως καὶ οἱ φίλοι μιμήσωνται αὐτὸν λογιζόμενοι, ὅτι ἀπόρρητός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὁ κατ' αὐτόν, καὶ οὕτως ἀποστῶσιν τῆς μιᾶς διαλήμψεως. ἵνα ἔλθωμεν ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς κρίσιν. ὡς προείρηται, παιδεύει τοὺς φίλους αἰσθηθῆναι, ὅτι εὐπαρησίαστον ἔχει τὸ συνειδὸς καὶ ἕτοιμον εἰς κρίσιν· ὁ γὰρ